Outside the tent, the sea breeze of Yunsheng County continued to howl tirelessly.
It swept up wave after wave of surging tides, rhythmically crashing against the sandy beach, forming a rather hypnotic melody.
However, even though Meng Wange inside the tent had her eyes tightly shut, she had no intention of sleeping at all.
That’s right, she actually hadn’t fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, as Su Wanli had imagined.
Meng Wange was simply very good at mimicking the steady, even breathing of a person in deep sleep.
In those lonely days of the past, she had occasionally experienced such sleepless nights.
Back then, she had no particularly effective way to fight it.
Certain baseless memories and fears of the future would quietly grip her throat like a clinging bone.
The only thing she could do was to first let her body instinctively calm down, as if she had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Only then would the clamorous noise in her mind gradually subside.
Over time, she had developed this habit of controlling her breathing.
But tonight, Meng Wange wasn’t fighting any emotions, nor was she deliberately avoiding something.
She just vaguely felt that there were still some things unfinished, some thoughts she hadn’t worked through.
Yes, that’s right.
She had successfully completed the Bai family’s orders.
Not only had she brought Su Wanli to Yunsheng County and attended the fireworks show here, but she had also used some indirect methods to make Su Wanli voluntarily come up with the idea of stopping the demolition of this street.
As for this operation, regardless of the final outcome, she had given it her all.
Even if Bai Qingyan wanted to blame her, she had enough grounds to defend herself.
But…
Meng Wange let out a soft sigh, then turned over and quietly gazed at the black-haired girl beside her, who had long since fallen asleep.
Su Wanli’s sleeping face was completely different from the arrogant facade she deliberately put on during the day.
Her expression was peaceful.
The eyebrows that were always tightly drawn and seemed somewhat sharp were fully relaxed in sleep, like some soft, cute little animal that had let down its guard.
The bright moonlight filtering through the top of the tent silently fell upon her long eyelashes and slightly parted lips, casting a small, soft shadow.
“…Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…”
Hearing the sound of her breathing, Meng Wange couldn’t help but curl her lips.
She subconsciously wanted to reach out and gently pat her head, as she had done many times before.
But just as her fingertips were about to touch Su Wanli’s soft hair, she hesitated and paused.
‘But by blindly following the Bai family’s orders and leading Su Wanli into a trap I wasn’t sure I could escape from unscathed… do I really have the right to touch her and make a wish to move forward together?’
Meng Wange silently sighed, withdrew her hand, and shifted her gaze away from Su Wanli’s face, looking toward the deep, vast starry sky outside the tent.
In her mind, she began to slowly recall all the experiences she had with this young lady since their first meeting.
The first time they met, on the sunlit corridor of the Su Residence.
That Su Wanli, wearing a thin set of pajamas, still drowsy, yet still putting on a haughty attitude.
When she tutored her.
In front of the desk in the room, Su Wanli complained about the difficulty of the questions while extremely seriously copying formulas in her notebook stroke by stroke.
During the final Opening Exam.
In the classroom of Baiying Academy, when she was falsely accused of cheating, Su Wanli, while yawning, drew everyone’s attention to herself.
And not long ago, beneath the dazzling fireworks display, Su Wanli silently sat beside her, her eyes dotted with starlight.
Life… is really strange.
Just when she had made up her mind to walk that path and thought she would never have a place to call home again, Su Wanli, like a shooting star, forcibly tore through the pitch-black night sky and broke into her sight.
Yes.
A stubborn, unreasonable, yet incredibly warm and dazzling shooting star.
It was precisely because this light was so precious, so beautiful.
So beautiful that it seemed as if it would vanish the next second.
That she had placed her hope in such an intangible thing and earnestly written her wish on that wishing plaque.
— ‘I hope I can be with her, and continue to maintain this kind of life.’
Meng Wange knew this was an almost impossible wish.
From the moment her mother entrusted her will and hatred to her, she was destined to walk a path with no return.
Deception, exploitation, betrayal.
These were the weapons she should wield.
And gentleness, trust, and love…
These would only become obstacles on her path.
But it seemed Meng Wange could no longer abandon this hard-won gentleness.
“…Hah.”
Only now did Meng Wange understand what she still had to do.
— Confess her sins to Su Wanli, to Su Heng, and to the Su family.
The kindness from Su Wanli and Uncle Su had come so naturally, so smoothly.
That she had almost forgotten she was never a member of the Su family.
Regardless of the original purpose for bringing her to the Su family, she had ultimately received gentleness and love from them that should not have been hers.
This was something she would have to repent for in the future.
As for now.
Although she was sorry, she still needed some time.
Sleep, Meng Wange.
So that you can shorten this time as much as possible and keep yourself in the best condition.
But just as Meng Wange was about to stop her train of thought and fall into a deep sleep, the phone by her pillow suddenly gave out a crisp ding.
— It was a message notification.
But this phone, which Su Heng had given her, had never made a sound except for the occasional messages from Su Wanli.
There was no way the Bai family could contact her through this method.
Meng Wange’s heart sank slightly, and a faint ache began to form in her mind.
…Right.
Aside from this emotional reflection, there was actually one more thing she had forgotten.
Clutching a sliver of hope, Meng Wange took a deep breath, silently picked up the phone, and swiped the screen open.
On the lock screen, a familiar name was calmly lying inside the white message bubble.
“Meng Wange, I’m waiting for you outside the tent.”